Living in London brings some challenge to pursuing amateur Astronomy, most notably due to the high light pollution that comes with being in the 19th largest city in the world. Because of this I was excited to go back to the more rural area of Ohio for Christmas as it provides a wonderful opportunity to do some star gazing and astrophotography.
Now that I’ve returned though, the question came to my mind, where is the least light polluted area I could find?
Fortunately after some research (and yes, I mean Googling…) I’ve found Jonathan Tomshine’s site with a very handy Google Maps implementation of a map that will help the aspiring Astronomer find the general area to get the best viewing results. The data comes from the Royal Astronomical Society and so I’ve a feeling it’s quite trustworthy.
You should visit the site here : http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/
Here’s an idea of the resolution you can expect to get
South West Ohio Light Pollution
Users have also added in notes about the site they have observed in, with some handy information such as if there is a parking lot or bathrooms.
I’ve found other sites that offer this data, however they’ve proven to be difficult – with maps that are not as user friendly or lacking in data, sometimes only providing info about specific areas.
Unfortunately the site only covers America, and I’m hoping in the future that Jonathan will be able to provide a European version for when I return to England. For now though, it was a great find and I’m excited to test it. Now I only have to worry about if the weather will cooperate and provide me a clear sky!
Tagged: Astrophotography, Dark Sky, Stargazing